Everything he gave, I took, and I did it begging.

I was his girl.

“More,” I whimpered. “Please. Please …oh, God, please.”

I took his thrusts and his hands bruising as he fucked harder, giving me it all.

Out. In. Out. In.

Harder …

Harder …

God …

My breath hitched.

“Fuck, you’re right there, Wild,” Brian said, brushing my hair out of my face and kissing me deep. “I’ve got you,” he whispered. “I’ve had you, Syd. Let go.”

He had me.

Even when he was Wes, he had me.

One last swipe of my tongue against Brian’s and I cried out, head snapping back and eyes rolling, every muscle in my body tightening as I came apart and exploded in his arms, feeling weighted and weightless at the same time.

Feeling everything, all because it was Brian and he was giving it to me.

And I fell, knowing he was catching me.

There wasn’t anything more beautiful than that.

Him and me.

He kept it up, hips pumping faster and his noises growing louder and deeper as my world drifted back together and I opened my eyes.

I knew Brian was close. I could feel it in the way his breathing changed against my cheek and his hands and fingers on my skin repositioned then gripped, readying to pull back and out.

“Don’t,” I pleaded, tightening my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck.

Brian leaned back, straining. “I’m gonna come.”

“I know. Do it.”

His eyes flashed.

Crazy.

Beautiful.

Gone.

I pulled him back and kissed him as he poured himself inside me, stilling as deep as he could go and holding it there, jerking between my legs and moaning into my mouth, then changing the kiss to something soft and sweet and quiet, no tongue, only lips and panting breaths.

Something like a first kiss.

He gave it to me slow and shy, maybe knowing deep down I’d imagined this moment with him a thousand times and a thousand different ways in my head and wanting to give that to me, or maybe needing it himself.

It didn’t matter and I didn’t ask because it was perfect.

And you don’t question perfect moments. You let them happen.

So I did.

Only when the kiss broke naturally did I move my hand to his cheek and pull back an inch, looking into his eyes.

He looked back.

We stared, breaths catching and eyes capturing.

“Hey,” I said shakily.

He licked his lips.

“Hey.”

“It’s so good to meet you.” I closed my eyes at how stupid that sounded. “Uh, I mean, officially anyway. Sorry. That was dumb.”

His chest shook with a soundless chuckle.

“Nah, it was cute,” he said, his arms giving me a squeeze.

I opened my eyes and smiled.

“I can’t believe we’re at the same party.” I laughed a little. “Seriously, what are the odds. It’s crazy enough you’re in Dogwood.”

“I live here.”

I tilted my head.

“Here …Dogwood?”

He lifted me off his cock and lowered me to my feet, saying, “Here, this house. I live here.”

I blinked up at him.

Holy …

“You’re Jamie’s roommate?” I asked.

Oh, my God. He knew! That’s why he told me to go find Brian. He knew I was the girl his roommate was messed up over.

I could kill him. And hug him for not saying anything. I wasn’t sure I would’ve reacted to seeing Brian the same way I did if I’d have known he was here before I found out on my own.

And I really liked the reaction I had and what followed.

Brian bent down and snatched up our clothes, handing me my items before shaking the sand off his shorts.

“Yeah,” he answered, looking into my face to state, “And you don’t recognize me.”

It took me a second to understand what he was saying as I stepped into my panties and slid them up my legs while he pulled on his boxers and shorts, then I remembered his question before we attacked each other, a question I didn’t really think about at the time, but now that I was thinking about it, I got what he was asking and why he was asking it.

It hit me.

“It was you,” I said quietly, watching his chest puff out with an inhale and his body grow stiff. “At the Corvette that day. When Jamie sliced those tires, it was you by his Jeep, wasn’t it? I saw you.”

Brian visibly relaxed, then nodded.

“Did you know it was me?”

“Not until you called me that night,” he replied, pulling his shirt over his head. “Couldn’t fuckin’ believe it either.” His eyes moved between the pants in my one hand and my bra and hoodie in the other, then rose to mine. “You gonna get dressed?”

“Why didn’t you say anything if you knew it was me?” I questioned, keeping hold of my clothes instead of putting them on. “And why did you get so angry when I sent you that photo? You knew I was here. You’d sort of seen me already.”

He scrubbed a hand down his face.

I stepped closer, getting ready to ask something else or plead for an answer, when he spoke, head down and voice quiet.

And what he said changed everything.

“Gone for you fast, Wild,” he began. “Can’t explain it. Don’t know how it happened or what it was about you specifically that got to me, but you fuckin’ got to me, babe, and it was good. Best I’d felt in a long time, maybe ever. Didn’t want to risk anything messing that kind of perfection up. It was too good the way we had it, your voice in my ear, what you’d give me every time we spoke. I was living for that.”

Oh, God.

I was wrong. His reason totally mattered and I completely understood it.

He lifted his head to look at me.

I could barely see him, my eyes were flooding fast with emotion, but I heard and registered his sudden movement then felt his hand on my face and the other on my hip, pulling me close.

“Wild,” he whispered, thumb catching a tear.

“It—it was perfect!” I cried out, agreeing, letting it all go and clutching at him with my head tipping forward and dropping on his chest. “I don’t know how either, Brian. I don’t understand what it was about you, but since that first day, that first text you sent me, it was perfect and everything I needed and you knew.” I lifted my head to look at him. “You just knew the right things to say and the right times to call. You healed me. You didn’t know it but you did!”

“You were healing me, too, babe.”

Oh …God.

I started crying harder.

His lips touched the top of my head, and his breath fluttered as he chuckled.

“Healing me is a good thing, Syd. You know that, right?”

“I know,” I whispered between sniffles.

“Then why are you crying?”

“Because that’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me!” I explained, blinking away my tears. “And I’m mostly naked and feeling vulnerable right now, plus, we’ve just had the best sex of my life and I’m still processing all of that, and also”—I got on my toes and pressed closer to stress—“I’ve just really really missed you. This is a lot to handle all at once.”